When Treatment Ends

Focusing on Your Emotional Recovery from Cancer

by Jolene Rowe, LCSW

For many cancer survivors, the
challenges of a cancer diagnosis
don’t end with treatment. Emotional
recovery is sometimes a longer
and even more difficult process than
physical recovery. This can be exacerbated
by the expectation from family,
friends, and coworkers that the day treatment
ends will be the day you are back
to normal. As a cancer survivor, you
know this is far from the truth.

Coupled with the joy and relief of
completing treatment, you may experience
fear of recurrence, worries about
long-term effects of treatment, and a
general uncertainty about the future.
You may feel sad or even develop depression.
Many changes and losses have
occurred, and with loss comes the need
to grieve in order to move on.

Whatever your unique experience,
all survivors share a common desire to
return to normalcy. They want a “prescription”
to feel less like cancer patients
and more like themselves again.

The first step is acknowledging and
accepting your new normal. It’s OK to
not feel like yourself after treatment. It’s
OK to never be the same again. You need
time to recover and regain your emotional
equilibrium. Give that to yourself
without guilt. Allow yourself time to
reflect on your experience, take stock
of how cancer has affected your life,
and reevaluate how you view the world.
Putting cancer in perspective and attaching
some meaning to what you have been
through can enhance your sense of control
over your life, as well as your sense
of well-being as a survivor.

Be kind to yourself, allow time
for healing, and allow those around you
to support you in this endeavor.

Cancer is a transformative experience
that may cause you to question
and rethink your priorities. It’s a time
of transition and, like any transition,
requires adjustments. Let go of what is
unnecessary and focus on what is most
important; it can be both empowering
and liberating. Cancer has a way of helping
you redefine your priorities and
recognize what you value most.

Try to deal with the expectations, behaviors,
and emotions of others in a way
that does not cause you distress. Don’t
feel as if you have to live up to everyone’s
expectations, but do try to have
compassion for those close to you who
may be uncertain of what to say or how
to act now that your treatment is over.
Seek out the company and support of
the people in your life who have been
understanding, helpful, and comforting.
Learn to ask for what you need and to
communicate honestly, clearly, and assertively
what you do not. Anticipate
questions about your illness while choosing
what you wish to share about your
experience.

Be proactive in setting your new
priorities as a survivor. Decide how or
if you plan to return to work, school,
and social activities, and determine when
the time is right for you. Find ways to
comfort yourself, relieve stress, and
cope with the fear of recurrence. Learn
what the late effects of treatment are,
what to expect from them, and how to
manage them. Knowledge can help reduce
your anxiety.

Seek out other survivors who share
a common experience to reduce the
sense of isolation that comes from
being a cancer survivor reentering life.
Explore mind-body strategies and other
wellness activities. If you are a spiritual
person, seek comfort in those
activities that nourish your spirit. Find
things that make you happy, and pursue
them.

As you embark on this phase of your
recovery, with the tasks and challenges
that lie ahead, find ways to be hopeful.
Get involved in life. Enter new relationships
and experience new things. Make
plans for the future. Try to think less
about what could happen and more about
what needs to happen. Accept help and
support when needed.
If you find
that over time
and with attention
you don’t
feel better, seek
out help from
a mental health
professional.
Just as you
wouldn’t ignore
a physical symptom
that doesn’t
go away, don’t ignore ongoing distress
that doesn’t go away despite your
best efforts.

Commit to your own emotional recovery.
Be kind to yourself, allow time
for healing, and allow those around you
to support you in this endeavor.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Jolene Rowe is a licensed clinical social
worker and social work supervisor at H.
Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research
Institute in Tampa, FL.

This article was originally published in Coping® with Cancer magazine,
November/December
2012.